Summer is gradually passing. In the summer of 1629, Lingao County seemed very quiet. On the one hand, the weather was hot, and people in the city did not want to move around. The farmers were busy harvesting summer seeds under the scorching sun, and plowing the fields, and had no time to go to the city. Secondly, here
The city has been gradually marginalized economically. The few merchants in the city have been gradually attracted to Dongmen City to open shops and do business. The common people and gentry have gradually become accustomed to this new market, whether it is
Whether it's shopping or just taking a leisurely stroll, Dongmen City has much better shopping options and shopping environment than the county town.
Several households of handicraftsmen in the city have all closed down, including the only blacksmith shop in the county. Their products are incomparable to those of the traversers, and even completely defeated in terms of price. They finally lost in free competition. Now they are no longer in the county.
Yes, it is said that working as a craftsman in the Kun people is a good salary. According to people who saw it, the cooper who was originally very poor actually married a wife and brought four or five apprentices to make barrels every day.
The only place in the city that still seemed a little more lively was Runshitang. Since the owner of Runshitang went to the subcontinent, Runshitang, which had been quiet and quiet, suddenly became lively, and many outside pharmacists were added to the job.
Work. Baskets and baskets of medicinal materials are shipped in, and boxes and boxes of patent medicines are shipped out. Everyone says that Yang Shixiang, the owner of Runshitang, is making money now. Once every ten days, several large trucks of goods will be shipped.
I went to Bopu and pretended to be the latest Zhuge Xingjun Powder and Biwen Powder made by Runshitang - it is said that they are very popular in Guangzhou. These two medicines are also well received in Lingao, especially because they are cheap and good quality.
Many people carry a bottle of anti-plague powder with them, and it has become a common safety medicine in summer. Even if you can't afford it, you can get it at the door of the church in Dongmen City - the price is to listen to what's inside
A foreign monk preached a sutra.
The foreign monk is kind, tells pleasant stories, and even brings out beautiful picture albums. Even if it is not for medicine, it is a good choice for entertainment.
Well-informed people say that the reason why Runshitang was able to turn around was because shopkeeper Yang fell in love with a "miraculous doctor" among the Kun people, and it was he who came up with the prescriptions for making medicine. I heard that he even got a lot of money.
support on.
This Australian is really a money-loving boy. People with smarter minds in the county all feel this way, so let’s take away Lin Quan’an from Quanfu Trading Company. He was originally just a Fujian guy who carried burdens to sell goods, but now he has become a businessman.
The richest man in the county rides around in a four-person sedan, and now there is Yang Shixiang... Many people's minds have become active. Some people are asking about ways to catch up with people in the time-traveling group.
The county government office where Lingao is located has been listless throughout the summer. The door is closed tightly, and the two government officials who are guarding the gate are hiding in the doorway to enjoy the cool weather. It is already time to collect summer grain, but every autumn there are books showing off in front of the county government office.
However, the subordinate officials and the "grain collectors" were nowhere to be seen - the local summer grain quota was only thirty-two shi. Even if the tax was doubled, there wouldn't be much profit. Naturally, there would be no effort.
All the officials in the county smelled something in the quiet air of the city and felt uneasy, but no one could explain clearly what made them uneasy.
What are they dissatisfied with now? The bandits have been basically eliminated; large-scale pirate landings and robberies have completely disappeared. These two alone are already remarkable political achievements in the eyes of Wu Mingjin and others. As for the entrance to the county town
After passing by, the road that continues to extend is the good governance that he has been thinking about for several years but has not been able to achieve.
Personally speaking, everyone is living a good life. From Wu Mingjin to ordinary petty officials in the yamen, they can receive a "circulation coupon" from Kun Ren according to the grade list every month - although it is not free.
It's a lot of money, but you can spend it in Dongmen City. Wu Mingjin originally disdained this kind of "counterfeit money", but since he fell in love with cigarettes, which have a pure taste that doesn't irritate the nose, and are very convenient to smoke,
This kind of "counterfeit money" has great value. The cigarette shops in Dongmen City only accept this kind of money.
The wife and children he brought back from Qiongshan were far more fond of Australian products than he was. First, his wife couldn't put it down, and secondly, since Xiong Buyou gave him a pair of Tianchu's "Secret MSG" packaged in porcelain bottles,
This is a must-have when making dishes in the kitchen. Then various pickles from Tianchu were delivered, which was like rain after a long drought for Mrs. Wu who lived in this barbaric place - Wu Mingjin was from Nanzhili.
I have a natural affinity for things like pickles and eggs. Although these are common and cheap in South Zhili, they are rare in Lingao. Wu Mingjin ate a few slices of "Yangzhou Sauce Milk Cucumber" and found that the taste was not as good.
That's right, but the flavor is roughly the same, which made me think about the water shield perch a lot. I also wrote a few poems impromptu. I was so inspired that I sent someone to ask Master Wang to come and recite poems with me, but I was told
Master Wang went out with his new concubine, which made Wu Mingjin very disappointed.
However, the thieves are very clever. Although they often give away things, they refuse to give them the same thing. When the MSG, pickles, and junk are gone, they hope that Xiong Buyou will send them again, but they are nowhere to be seen. To buy something, Wu Mingjin has to go to Dongmen Market.
I compressed part of my cigarette money and gave it to my wife to spend.
As Xiong Buyou sent gifts more and more frequently, Wu Mingjin found that his money to buy cigarettes was becoming increasingly tight. His solution was to take the brown rice that the court gave him as a salary to his servants and exchange it for currency certificates at Dongmen Market.
, this approach really made him feel incredible. However, circulation coupons are indeed a good thing.
But the price of this "Australian product" is too high! What he smoked turned out to be "Holy Ship" brand cigarettes, ten white cigarettes, each with a small bamboo tube cigarette holder, and there were
The pattern of a ship - Wu Mingjin knew that this was the huge ship in Bo Pu. The price of the Holy Ship brand is 6 yuan per pack. According to the price listed by Delong Grain Store, it is almost four or five kilograms of brown rice!
A small cigarette is half a kilogram of rice! Wu Mingjin felt that he was too extravagant, so he asked the servant to buy cheaper ones. The servant bought a "Bairentan" brand cigarette. The smoke tasted good.
It's almost the same, except that the bamboo tube cigarette holder is missing. The packaging of the cigarette box has become much simpler. The price is only 3 yuan. After smoking for a few days, he found that the clerks in the county government also smoked this kind of cigarette. Then he looked more carefully.
, it turns out that these cigarettes have different brand sizes. The most expensive one is "Shengzhou", followed by "Bairentan", then there is a 1 yuan one called "Gaoshanling", and the last one is "Dazhuang", which only costs 50 cents.
That's it. That's what the traffickers and lackeys smoke.
Wu Mingjin, as the highest official of the county, smoked the same grade of cigarettes as those in the Yamen Secretary Office, which was really unbecoming. So he had no choice but to continue smoking "Holy Boat".
Recently, Dongmen City has been selling ice cubes again - this has caused a great sensation. People all over Lingao want to know where Kunthi's ice cubes come from. There is no ice in Lingao in winter, and there is no ice in the local area.
There are no deep mountains where snow and ice can be stored. Not only does it seem to have ice, but it also seems to be very easy to come by. Not only can it be used by oneself, but it can also be sold. You can buy a large piece of it with a circulation coupon for 10 cents.
Putting a large piece of ice in the hall immediately made you feel much cooler, and it was even better to use ice cubes to chill fruits. Xiong Buyou also sent several small jars of sour plum brine - drinking a bowl of chilled sour plum soup is also a good thing.
——It’s just that Wu Mingjin’s expenditure on circulation certificates has further expanded.
Magistrate Wu was very smart and realized that this was the time-traveling group that was using all kinds of "ingenious and obscene tricks" to seduce him and his whole family. They didn't give away real money and silver, but only trinkets for enjoyment, and these things only had Kun.
Only thieves have it.
Wu Mingjin sneered secretly: Do you think I don't know your tricks?
You know, you know, but the demand is unstoppable. It is said that it is easy to change from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to change from luxury to frugality. After a person is accustomed to enjoying life, it becomes very difficult to change. For example, his attempt to smoke dry cigarettes again was rejected.
It failed. It was spicy, bitter, and all the smoke was emitted. After a few puffs, he became angry and swung the dry tobacco stick. The waiter was so frightened that he knelt down and did not dare to say anything. In the end, he bought it from Dongmen City.
Smoking is the problem.
As for the ice cubes, even if he could bear it, his wife and children couldn't understand his difficulties and insisted on it. His son actually suggested that he send someone to ask the Australians to send some ice cubes every day - even if they thought about it, they would not refuse to send them. Wu Mingjin was so angry.
I just want to slap him in the mouth a few times.
Of course you can buy ice by yourself, but the money for cigarettes is decreasing day by day... Wu Mingjin also encountered the problem of insufficient money for cigarettes that modern men often encounter.
Of course he has money. Although Lingao is a small county on the border, the county magistrate still gets his share of the summer and autumn Fu every year. But the money accumulated in the past has been sent back to his hometown one after another. There is nothing fancy about the summer fu, and the autumn fu
The endowment has not yet arrived, and for a while, apart from the pitiful monthly salary, there will be no place to make money - Wu Mingjin considers himself a "conscience" county magistrate, making dirty money, taking bribes and perverting the law.
Generally it won't be done.
Of course, as long as he shows a little expression and laments the sufferings of Wu Ya, it is estimated that the thieves will most likely take the initiative to increase the "subsidy". However, in addition to being "conscience", Magistrate Wu also has something else
"Integrity" - he would never do anything close to "begging".
Unexpectedly, a few days later, Xiong Buyou was very considerate and sent a stack of ice tickets. He used the tickets to pick up ice in Dongmen City. Each ticket cost one yuan. Thirty yuan a month. Wu Mingjin's emotions were very complicated: Bribery from the Australians,
He didn't have the courage to refuse, but he accepted it - he felt that he was sinking deeper and deeper. Not only him, but also all the officials in the county.